On 1944-05-21, Pilot J D McCarthy (Flying Officer, RAF) with an unknown servicenumber, flew a Spitfire Vb with serial unknown for this duty: Ramrod 905. His mission was not completed. Circumstances of the aircraft loss: Damaged. This aircraft was a part of squadron no. 130. The location for the map is the English Channel. Circumstances at the end of this mission for McCarthy: he was injured. There is no commemoration location known.
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My name is Keiron McCarthy I am the son of the above pilot known as “Mac”. His service number was 147196. On the day shown above he was flying Spitfire AP-E Serial number EP564 accompanied by his “wingman” Flt Sgt Bob Badkin in AP-L Serial number BM355. They had been attacking German ground forces when they received a warning from their W/CDr. Johnny Checketts in AB509 that there were enemy aircraft in the vicinity. Almost immediately my father was hit by AA fire to the right of his plane injuring his right arm and he saw Bob Badkin struggling to pull back his canopy.
My Dad always thought Bob had been “stalked” by a Focke Wolf 190. “Mackie” as we knew him finished strafing the AA guns and the struggled back to their airfield, an Advanced Landing Ground. (ALG) at Horne in Surrey. This whole incident is covered in a book by Brian Buss called RAF Hornes D-Day Spitfires. If you are looking into the history of 130 Squadron I would recommend this book. It covers the memories of not just my Dad but of others from 130 Squadron,303 Polish Squadron and 402 RCAF Squadron who were the other Squadrons involved at Horne during this period. I hope this has been of assistance to you? Should you require any more information please contact me. Ps Bob Badkin was taken prisoner after he crashed. I met him some years after the war when I was a schoolboy.
